Golfers back in the swing of things as courses open early

After near-biblical amounts of rain drenched the area recently, clear skies and balmy temperatures prompted area golf courses to spring to life last week, as golfers returned to the sport in droves.

Evan Lips

After near-biblical amounts of rain drenched the area recently, clear skies and balmy temperatures prompted area golf courses to spring to life last week, as golfers returned to the sport in droves.

"We officially opened today at noon and already have a ton of people out here," said Mendon resident and Hopedale Country Club golf pro Joe Potty on Friday. "The old spring definitely seems to have sprung early this year."

Potty said Friday's opening day beat last year's by over two weeks. The same was true at other courses. Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough also opened on Friday.

"When we put the word out that we were opening early this year we did get a ton of calls," said Dudley Darling, Juniper Hill's general manager. "People are chomping at the bit to get out here."

Darling said his course did not open until mid-April in 2009. He also expressed amazement that some golfers expected to play last Tuesday despite the deluge of rain that fell during the days leading up to the rare March warm weather.

"Some people seem to live in caves. I mean, we had four straight days of hard rain," he said jokingly on Friday. "I don't know about your lawn but mine is still under water.

"People had flooded basements and houses and they were still calling to see if we were open - maybe that's me being cynical."

Darling said since word spread of the early opening, phones have been ringing non-stop.

"We're swamped," he said as employees scrambled to answer a seemingly endless wave of phone calls inside the club's pro shop.

Juniper Hill features two public 18-hole courses. Darling said the Lakeside Course, sprawled out across rolling hills, is open. He's still waiting to open the Riverside Course, located along the Assabet River.

At Marlborough Country Club, club pro Mark Klotz said on Friday he saw a lot of members "playing hooky from work."

"The course here is a little damp and we have five temporary greens but overall we're in great shape," he said. "I heard we got six inches of rain here."

"It's 67 degrees out and it's not even noon," he said. "You can't beat that on a day in March."

But Klotz added that last year the club actually opened a few days earlier.

"That was probably because it was drier," he said. "But our superintendent Ken Crimmins does an awesome job here."

Klotz said Crimmins' work was instrumental in repairing an area of the 18-hole course damaged by ice.

"It's absolutely gorgeous now," he said.

For all three courses, the lifting of clouds has corresponded with an uptick in business. At the beginning of last season Klotz said 67 members left the club.

"A normal loss for the club is 30 members in a year," Klotz told the Daily News last April.

But this year he said there have been several good indicators of growth.

"We have a full membership now in addition to a waiting list," he said.

He attributes some of the growth to the club's waiving of a $4,000 initiation at the end of 2008. As the economy began to rebound, club management decided this year to institute a commitment fee of $1,000. So far, Klotz said the fee has not deterred interest, adding that the waiting list is expanding.

In Hopedale, Potty said club membership is "in great shape."

"If we don't have a full house we're pretty close to it," he said. "If today is any indication, it's only going to get better."

The nine-hole course nestled inside the Mill River valley is semi-private. According the club's Web site, management maintained its initiation fee at $1,000. Prior to 2008's economic woes, that fee stood at $3,500. Annual dues for a single member are about $1,600.

Meanwhile, St. Mark's Golf Club in Southborough opened last Wednesday and owner Bill Harrison said he sees a lot of positive signs for the upcoming season.

"Things are looking better for us," he said when reached Friday by phone. "You can play any of my courses for $32 for 18 holes and if this good weather keeps up we'll be in good shape."

Harrison's New England Golf Corporation manages five courses in New England, including St. Mark's and Pinecrest Golf Club in Holliston.

"All that rain last year in June and July was awful and hurt our business," he said.

Last summer's washout had a similar effect at Juniper Hill.

"The weather got better but turned bad again and that affected business here," said Darling. "We're hoping the weather will be better from now on."

MetroWest Daily News writer Evan Lips can be reached at 508-490-7461 or elips@cnc.com.